Title: Biden Administration Nears Approval on Shipment of Long-Range Missiles Packed with Cluster Bombs to Ukraine
Date: September 11, 2022
Location: Washington, D.C.
The Biden administration is reportedly close to approving the shipment of longer-range missiles packed with cluster bombs to Ukraine, granting Kyiv the ability to inflict significant damage deeper within Russian-occupied territory. The potential shipment includes the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) capable of flying up to 190 miles (306 km), as well as Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) missiles with a 45-mile range, both packed with cluster bombs.
After witnessing the effectiveness of cluster munitions delivered through 155 mm artillery rounds in recent months, the United States is contemplating providing either or both of these missile systems to Ukraine. The move aims to bolster the Ukrainian military during a critical moment in the country’s pushback against Russian forces.
Sources indicate that Ukraine is currently equipped with 155 mm artillery rounds with a maximum range of 18 miles, carrying up to 48 bomblets. The potential shipment of ATACMS missiles could propel around 300 or more bomblets, while the GMLRS rocket system, already part of Ukraine’s arsenal, could disperse up to 404 cluster munitions.
The decision to send ATACMS or GMLRS missiles, or both, is still pending and subject to change. The Biden administration has been cautious about sending ATACMS missiles, fearing that such a shipment could be perceived as an aggressive move against Russia.
ATACMS missiles are specifically designed for deep attacks on enemy second-echelon forces, targeting command and control centers, air defenses, and logistics sites behind the front lines. Ukraine has repeatedly requested ATACMS missiles to disrupt supply lines, air bases, and rail networks in Russian-occupied territory.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, recently disclosed that he and Secretary of State Antony Blinken had discussions regarding the potential provision of long-range missiles by the United States. Kuleba expressed hope for a positive decision.
The plan is to include the grenade-packed weapons in an upcoming draw from U.S. stockpiles of munitions. Currently, Ukraine only possesses U.S.-furnished cluster munitions in the form of 155 mm rounds. The new weapons would enhance Ukraine’s current arsenal of 45-mile range GMLRS rounds, which release more than 100,000 sharp tungsten fragments but lack bomblets.
If approved, the missiles would be shipped to Ukraine through the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which allows expedited transfers from U.S. stockpiles. In the meantime, necessary software upgrades could be performed on launchers, such as the M270 and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), which Ukraine already uses on the battlefield.
The potential shipment could take place as early as this week, coinciding with a September 19 meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. However, it is important to note that President Joe Biden may ultimately decide against or delay the transfer.
Cluster munitions are outlawed by more than 100 countries. However, Russia, Ukraine, and the United States have not signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits the production, stockpiling, use, and transfer of such weapons. Cluster munitions release numerous smaller bomblets that can cause indiscriminate casualties over a wide area, with unexploded munitions posing threats long after the conflict ends.
The United States has pledged over $40 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Chris Sanders and Lisa Shumaker.